Having a bad credit history can be a real nightmare and major source of headaches. With a bad credit history you are pretty much financially disabled from everything except transactions that can be covered with cash. Finding an apartment to rent, trying to buy car, putting a down payment on a house, or applying for a credit card or a loan from a bank can all be activities you are basically barred from with a bad credit history. Banks, businesses and landlords can see a bad credit history a mile away and will avoid you like the plague. And it seems like all the steps that are supposed to build credit require good credit in the first place. How can you break out of this credit catch-22 once you get stuck in it?

A good place to start if you have a particularly bad credit history is to contact a credit counseling service. These services will help you to identify why it is you have a bad credit rating, and will help you figure out some steps you can take to repair your bad credit history. A lot of people struggle with credit at one point or other in their lives, and the use of these counseling services is a great way to get back on track.

Most counseling services will tell you that improving your bad credit history should start by clearing up any past debts or forgotten bills. Missed payments have a tendency to work themselves into ugly marks on your credit rating, and make for a bad credit history. It is not in their nature for businesses to forget that you didn’t pay them what you owed, and they will almost always eventually contact a collection agency. When a collection agency decides that you aren’t going to pay, they’ll do everything in their power to give you a bad credit history.

These collection agencies are supposed to contact you about your debts first, but if you’ve moved or changed you phone number and they don’t succeed, they won’t be shy about ruining your credit without your permission. If you have a bad credit history, you might have been an unknowing target of one of these agencies.

Whatever the reason, clearing up a bad credit history should start by settling old debts or forgotten bills. Additionally, you want to take steps to show that you can make payments responsibly. Use your credit cards often and pay the minimum payments on your bills immediately. If you don’t have a credit card, get a secured card and likewise make your minimum payments promptly. Credit counseling services can help you find additional ways to fix your bad credit history as well.